


Grace

by resident_vamp



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Post - Half-Blood Prince
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-22
Updated: 2013-03-22
Packaged: 2017-12-06 02:27:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/730538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/resident_vamp/pseuds/resident_vamp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She was running; running so very fast. Her lungs burned from exertion and not enough oxygen and her muscles strained with exhaustion, but she didn’t dare stop. Stopping meant death, for she was grossly outnumbered and she refused to die there; in an unknown forest where no one would ever find her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Grace

She was running; running so very fast. Her lungs burned from exertion and not enough oxygen and her muscles strained with exhaustion, but she didn’t dare stop. Stopping meant death, for she was grossly outnumbered and she refused to die there; in an unknown forest where no one would ever find her. 

She could hear them gaining on her, their yells and shouts to each other growing closer. She heard the word “mudblood” more than once. She pushed harder and harder, knowing she was almost to her limit, but she refused to give up. 

It wasn’t even supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be simple. It was supposed to be reconnaissance. She had convinced Harry to let her go by herself, as he and Ron were needed elsewhere. There had been no reported Death Eater activity in the area and she didn’t know how they had found her, but they had. 

Suddenly a hand grabbed her arm and yanked her behind a tree. Before she could scream a cold hand was firmly placed over her mouth.

Her back was to the stranger, her body flush to his, and the hand that wasn’t on her mouth was gripping her hip so tightly she was sure she would find a bruise there later. 

“Granger.” The voice was raspy and low, his breath hot on her ear. It takes her a second to place the voice, but when she does she begins to struggle. The hand at her waist gripped tighter. 

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Draco Malfoy said. “I’m here to help you. Now, I’m going to move my hand. Don’t. Scream.” His hand slowly dropped away from her mouth and she huffed a breath when it was gone. 

There was a rustling noise and then he pushed a piece of parchment into her hand. His fingers lingered for a second and then his hand disappeared. 

“I’ll lead them away from you. Get out of here and get back to your headquarters and give that parchment to Potter,” he whispered, his hand squeezing her hip even tighter, as if to emphasize the importance of it. She tried to turn, but he kept her flush to him. She settled for turning her head instead and found that her eyes were almost level with his mouth. 

“Why?” she whispered, her curious nature getting the better of her. Here he was, Draco Malfoy, hiding a Muggle-born from his fellow Death Eaters, and giving her what she assumed was information to help _them_ win. 

“You’re smart, you’ll figure it out. Your side isn’t the only side that’s getting tired of this; I’m just a little more tired than the rest of them.” 

His hand dropped from her hip, and he moved away from her. She spun on her feet to face him and grabbed his wrist. He paused in his retreat and looked back at her. His face was different than she remembered. His cheeks were hollowed and his eyes were dark with fatigue. He had always been skinny at school but now he looked almost skeletal. She could see a scar snaking out from under his shirt along his collarbone. It was ugly and red, signaling its freshness. 

Without even thinking about it she stepped closer to him and raised herself up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. It was light, and her lips barely made contact, but she felt a jolt in her system when she did. His eyes brightened for a moment, and then returned to their dark, dull state. He stared at her for a moment before pulling his wrist from her grasp and stepping out from behind the tree. 

She stayed there, listening as the Death Eaters that had been chasing her stopped at the sight of him. He chastised them, his voice dark and hard. He told them that she had already escaped and that they should go back to await their punishment. She heard them mumble apologies and then take off back the way they had came. She waited a few extra minutes and then ran in the opposite direction. She glanced back over her shoulder once and saw him, standing there, watching her run.


End file.
